NEW DELHI: Condemning death of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Taniam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said violence preceding his death was "tragic and shameful"

The Union Home Ministry, meanwhile, was ready to set up a committee of retired bureaucrats to address the larger issue of isolation and discrimination of youth from the North-East.

"While the actual cause of Nido Taniam's death will be known only after the autopsy report is received, the violence which preceded his demise is tragic and shameful. Our government will make every possible effort to punish the guilty and to provide effective protection to students and citizens from different parts of the country, especially the northeast, who visit or reside in Delhi," the PM said in a statement.

A home ministry official said a committee of four-five retired bureaucrats, including one from Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland and others with a "strong connection" with northeast, would be set up soon and given two-three months to come up with a comprehensive report on how to integrate north-east youth and steps required to stop racial abuse against them.

"A magisterial inquiry, which is being conducted by a District Magistrate, will meanwhile concentrate on Tania's death, the circumstances surrounding it and specifically the grave lapses of the Delhi police. The police had no business trying to strike a compromise between Tania and the accused shopkeepers who assaulted him. They should have immediately lodged an FIR on charges of assault and also promptly booked the shopkeepers for violating section 3 of the SC/ST Act as they had racially abuse/teased Tania. But an FIR was lodged only after Tania's death," the ministry official said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who visited Jantar Mantar on Tuesday where north-east youth are sitting on a candle-light protest, said the magisterial probe will be over in 3-4 weeks and action will follow.